Portland (Part 2)
Updated: Aug 13, 2021
May 17 to May 24
Wednesday was a riot. It started by getting a text from an old friend from years ago telling me that he got us a 1 pm appointment at a local bathhouse, what the hell? I thought bathhouses only existed in action movies in which the bad guys are all super Russian. I was wrong. I strapped on the flip flops and the board shorts and headed off to whatever the hell was waiting for me.
The bath house was in a place called McMenamins. In case you aren't familiar, McMenamins is a restaurant/hotel chain spread throughout Washington and Oregon, primarily in the Portland area. They have over 100 locations ranging from pubs, breweries, hotels, cigar lounges, and apparently bath houses. I walked into The Kennedy School location with a bag full of towels and sunscreen. Chris was finishing up an online class so I located the bar. Let the marathon begin...
Turns out, the bath house is a giant outdoor bath tub. Like a swimming pool sized bath tub. I wasn't sure what to expect, it certainly exceeded any and all expectations. We had a couple of beers and soaked beyond our hour limit by 20 minutes before finally getting out. I could have sat in there all god damn day. Chris and I went back to my Aunt's place for a seafood feast, I think my Aunt likes Chris more than me. After I finally kicked Chris out it was time to get ready for my Wednesday night tour.
My tour guide showed up around 6 to pick my ass up and we headed for the Pittock Mansion (Patrick Mansion), awesome views of the city. I spent a lot of time walking around the streets of Portland so it was nice to get a good view of it all. After we checked out the views we went to the Rose Gardens.
If you're into flowers, this is the place for you. Even if you're not into flowers it was pretty damn cool. Lot's of trails to explore. Unfortunately the Japanese Rose Garden was closed. We tried to sneak in, we failed.
After the Rose Gardens we went to The Pearl District to a bar called River Pig Saloon to watch the end of the Lakers/Warriors game. The game that Lebron apparently saw "three rims". River Pig was overall my favorite place to grab a drink. The setting was really cool, staff was nice and having a good time and the company wasn't bad either. I also happened to win my bet on the Lakers and avoided taking a shot of Tito's, thank you God (Lebron James).
Thursday morning arrived in full force in the form of a headache and a sluggishness that only coffee and a workout could vanquish. I had both. I felt “a hunnit” by noon. I had plans with a few different friends across the bridge in Vancouver, WA. My first stop was at Barlows Public House on the water. The view of the river was awesome and the food was just as good. The whole waterfront area was really cool. Can't go wrong at any of the restaurants/bars there. After some food, some drinks and some catching up I headed to my buddy's house to watch him brew his first ever homemade batch of beer. Haven't seen him in 4 years, didn't miss a beat. From what I could tell the brewing was a success, I guess he'll find out in a month or so when it's ready for consumption.
Friday morning I found myself on a roof of a condominium complex removing moss. Turns out moss removal pays better than Travel Blogs. Might have to switch up the business name to "Moss City". My Wednesday night tour guide offered to take me out on Friday for one more adventure before I rode off into the sunset, apparently I'm not such bad company.
We went up to Mount Tabor to eat some street tacos and check out the sunset. Some locals brought a sound system up and started what seemed to be a drug fueled rave on the grass. It was some of the best people watching I've seen in months. Keep Portland weird baby. The tacos were delicious, thanks to Papi Chulos.
Saturday was my departure day. It was time to pack and say my goodbyes. The hardest part of any visit, especially when there’s no home to go back to. My aunt and I went to FUEL cafe for some brunch (it was bomb), after that I loaded up the car and started my trip to McMinnville, peace out Portland. Can't wait to come back.